Chapter 16: Returning to the Hedge
Twilight, Dusk, Nyx and Daylight were in the dining room with Gallus, Ocellus, Silverstream, Yona, Velvet and Night Light. Nyx and Daylight were talking about their day with the Crusaders.
"And so many other fillies and colts are asking us for advise about earning their Cutie Marks," Daylight said.
"Wow," Gallus said. "You fillies sure like helping out."
"You know it," Nyx said.
"Although, Apple Bloom said that the treehouse wasn't their original idea for their clubhouse," Daylight said. "What's the Hedge?"
"The Hedge?" Twilight asked. "Oh, I haven't been there since..." She then looked over at Dusk. "Since Dusk was reborn."
"What is the Hedge?" Ocellus asked.
Twilight blushed embarrassingly. She then said, "It's... actually a long story. It involves... me and my friends accidentally transporting ourselves to an alternate Equestria..."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Velvet said.
"...where everypony was born the opposite gender," Twilight continued.
"Wait, seriously?!" Night Light asked. He then got a certain thought. "Wait. Is that how you came up with the name for Dusk's name?"
"Yep," Twilight said. "I... named him after my counterpart from that world."
"That would explain it," Velvet said.
"Yona would like to see Hedge!" Yona said. "Sounds like fun place!"
"Meh, I wouldn't mind seeing it," Gallus said.
"It sounds so interesting!" Silverstream said.
"Can we all go see it?" Ocellus asked.
Twilight then thought about it. She then smiled and said, "Well, it has been a while since I've seen the Hedge. I guess I wouldn't mind showing you."
"Should we bring the Crusaders as well?" Nyx asked.
"As long as if they're okay with hanging out with a changeling," Twilight said.
"Oh, we told them about Ocellus," Daylight said.
"And Yona," Nyx added. "They already know about Gallus and Silverstream." Dusk and Daylight nodded in agreement.
"Well, okay," Twilight said. "Tomorrow, we're heading to the Hedge. Might as well pack ourselves a picnic."
"I... honestly can't remember the last time I had a picnic," Gallus said.
"Ooooh!" Silverstream squealed. "Sounds fun!"
The next morning, the Sparkle Family, Gallus, Yona, Silverstream, Ocellus and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were heading towards the Hedge. Ocellus was in her pony form. It wasn't as soon as they expected to leave, but Twilight had to talk with Applejack and Fluttershy about their Friendship Problem to solve in Las Pegasus.
"Sorry that took so long," Twilight said. "When there's a Friendship Problem to solve, we don't know how it's gonna take to understand why."
"It's a shame that they won't be able to join us," Dusk said.
"Join you guys for what?" came Rainbow Dash's voice from above them. They are all spooked by the sudden appearance. Rainbow Dash was hovering over them.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said. "You spooked us!"
"Sorry!" Rainbow Dash said. She then noticed the picnic supplies. "You guys going on a picnic?"
"We're headin' back to the Hedge," Scootaloo said.
"The Hedge?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "Oh, it's been months since I've been back there! I want in!"
"Did somepony say the Hedge?" came Rarity's voice. They looked over towards Rarity's voice and they saw her, Pinkie and the Tri-Pies coming towards them. "Oh, heavens, I haven't been there for a while!"
"Yeah, it has been a while!" Pinkie Pie said. "Should I find Applejack and Fluttershy, and they can join in, too?"
"I'm afraid you missed them, Pinkie," Twilight said. "They got called for a Friendship Problem to solve in Las Pegasus."
"Las Pegasus?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "Oh, man. That's one place that definitely doesn't suit either Applejack or Fluttershy."
"I agree," Rarity said. "Those two are gonna have a tough time finding that Friendship Problem."
Eventually, they made it to the hedge. Twilight turned around to look at Dusk, Nyx, Daylight, Gallus, Yona, Silverstream and Ocellus.
"Okay, this place is spacious, but probably not enough for all of us to be in," Twilight said. "So, some of us are gonna have to take turns coming into the Hedge."
Rarity noticed something around the entrance to the hedge. There were piles of dirt outside of the hedge. And a trench was made to keep the rain from pouring into the hedge.
"Hold on a moment, darlings," Rarity said. "Look." She pointed at the piles of dirt and the trench. "Somepony has been here, and probably dug out some more space inside the hedge. And look at this. A trench has been made."
"To keep water from coming into the hedge," Twilight said. "Huh. I thought that the water would eventually flow to the tunnel that let me slide all the way to that garden."
"It's a good thing it wasn't raining when we were in the other Equestria," Pinkie Pie said. Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.
"Let's see what's different in the hedge," Twilight said. She then started going into the Hedge. Dusk, Nyx and Daylight followed. They saw that the Hedge was bigger than it already was. "Whoa. This place has gotten a lot more space."
Dusk headed towards one area of the hedge until he tripped on something. He let out a yelp as he fell.
"Dusk, are you okay?" Twilight asked.
"I'm fine," Dusk said as he started to get up. "I just tripped on..." He then noticed what he tripped on. It was a sack full of gems. "Gems?"
"Gems?" Twilight asked. "Has Spike been...?" She then noticed the prints on the ground. They were dragon prints, but not Spike's. They were a little bigger than his. "No. These are bigger than Spike's prints."
"There's a new dragon?" Dusk asked.
"Who could be living here?" Daylight asked.
"Who's there?!" came a voice from the tunnel. Twilight, Dusk, Nyx and Daylight looked towards the tunnel. Twilight had her horn lit. Just then, a figure came out of the tunnel.
Smolder recognized the three foals. She then asked, "You three?"
"Smolder?" Dusk asked.
Twilight looked towards Dusk and asked, "You know this dragon?"
"Let's just say I kinda... crashed into her," Dusk said. He looked over at Smolder, seeing that she was giving a nervous look and was gesturing Dusk to cut it out before he says anything else. "Then we told her what we were doing there." Smolder then relaxed, relieved that he kept her secret for her.
"Okay," Twilight said. She then looked at Smolder. "So, what brings you here?"
"Meh, I've been wanting to see... other places," Smolder said. "Sometimes, a dragon's gotta go explore."
"You were sent out into the world by Dragon Lord Ember, weren't you?" Twilight asked.
"She said you left something in the Dragon Lands," Smolder said. "Well, mainly it's for Spike."
Spike then came into the hedge after he heard his name. He then asked, "Do I know you?"
"Not really," Smolder said. "But I did see you riding Ember while you were in the Gauntlet of Fire."
"Hey, I was just watching her back from incoming attacks from behind," Spike said.
"Just to let you know, I honestly didn't know which part of Equestria you guys lived in," Smolder said.
"So, why didn't you ask for help?" Nyx asked.
"Ponies often run away from dragons whenever one comes near them," Smolder said. "But, at least I was able to find you guys. Or more likely, you guys found me."
"Why did you stop here?" Twilight asked.
"I've... actually been flying a little too hard trying to find you," Smolder said. She then turned around to reveal her left wing wrapped in a bandage. "Fly too hard for several hours, your wing muscles tend to cramp."
"Ooooh," Twilight, Dusk and Nyx said in unison.
"Does that happen often?" Spike asked.
"Usually during the end of dragon migration," Smolder said. "It's not really a custom for dragons who haven't gone through the molt yet to migrate."
"The molt?" Spike asked. "What's the molt?"
"Right, you grew up with ponies your whole life," Smolder said. "The molt is actually the signs of a dragon growing up."
"And she doesn't mean like what happened the day after your first birthday in Ponyville," Dusk said. Then he and Twilight shivered.
"Basically, the molt is just dragon puberty," Daylight said.
"There are a lot more details that she left out, but yeah," Smolder said. "That is the gist of it." Just then, the sound of pounding came from the entrance.
"Yak needs help getting in," came Yona's voice. "Entrance not big enough for yak."
"Well, guess Yona's not gonna get in here," Dusk said.
"Not unless Twilight uses a 'Make-It-Mini' spell," Nyx said.
"How do you know about that spell?" Twilight asked.
"I told you about that when I was adjusting to this Equestria," Nyx said. "Remember? I said that the Twilight in my Equestria was showing me some things from the castle."
"Oh, that's right," Twilight said. She then blushed. "Guess I forgot about that." She then looked back at Smolder. "Anyway, this place isn't all that safe for a creature so... young... to be living on the edge of the Everfree Forest."
"Meh, we dragons are tough," Smolder said. "I'm sure I can handle some trouble that comes near here."
"Not in this forest," Twilight said. "There are a lot of dangerous creatures there, and fire's not gonna be a good idea to use in the forest. Even a sneeze from a dragon here can start a forest fire."
Smolder then thought about that. She then said, "Meh, guess that makes sense. But where am I gonna sleep?"
Twilight then smiled and said, "There are still plenty of rooms in my castle. But whatever you do, don't eat it."
"What do you mean 'don't eat it'?" Smolder asked.
"The castle's made of pure crystal," Nyx said. "Although, it does get cold sometimes."
Smolder then put a claw on her chin to think. She then said, "Meh, beats trying to keep rain out of this place." She reached something from the area where she was sleeping, and then handed Spike something. "This is for you."
She handed Spike a medal and Spike asked, "What is this?"
"That, by decree of Dragon Lord Ember, is an official ambassador medal, representing the alliance between the ponies and the dragons," Smolder said. "Be sure to tell the ruler of Equestria about this as soon as possible."
"Good idea," Twilight said. "So, who's up for a picnic?" Twilight then levitated the basket of food she brought.
Later that night, at the Castle of Friendship, Smolder was checking out her new bedroom as she was getting ready for bed. Smolder headed for a bedside table and put a framed photo of her and another dragon there. Then Twilight walked in.
"I see you're starting to get used to this place," Twilight said.
"Meh, this place is way shinier than all the gems in the hoard rooms we dragons have back in the Dragon Lands," Smolder said. "I hope you're prepared for when Spike starts his hoard."
"Oh, believe me, I've seen what happens," Twilight said. She then recalled when Spike became a 50-foot dragon the day after his first birthday in Ponyville. She then shuttered. "So, whatcha got there?" She pointed at the photo.
"Just a picture of me and my brother," Smolder said. "Might as well have something here to remind me of home."
"Oh, I understand the feeling," Twilight said. "In fact, some of our other guests have mementos of home. Silverstream has her magic seashell necklace and Yona has that blanket on her back that was given to her by her mother. Sure, Gallus and Ocellus haven't gotten anything to remind them of their families, mostly Gallus because he was homeless, but I'm sure they're always with him in spirit."
"Yeah, I get that," Smolder said. "A lot of dragons don't really have parents. Mostly because some of them weren't ready to be parents."
"Yeah, I get the feeling," Twilight said. She then saw the picture and went wide eyed. She then used her magic to pick up the picture. "Is that... Your brother is..."
"You know my brother, Garble?" Smolder asked.
"I'm afraid so, and not in a good way," Twilight said. "Every time Spike goes to the Dragon Lands, he always gets picked on by Garble."
"He... does... what?" Smolder said, getting angry. She then facepalmed herself. "Stupid peer pressure."
"Peer pressure?" Twilight asked. "Wait, are you saying that Garble doesn't actually want to do that stuff?"
"He's afraid of being embarrassed by what he actually wants to do in front of his friends and them laughing at him," Smolder said.
"Oh, he's afraid of being laughed at," Twilight said. "Although, Spike made him do something when he was holding the Bloodstone Scepter."
"But I thought Ember was the new Dragon Lord," Smolder said, arching an eyebrow.
"Oh, she is," Twilight said. "But apparently she and Garble forgot that the one who brings the Bloodstone Scepter back to Torch would be the next Dragon Lord."
Smolder went wide eyed and said, "Oh, that's right." She then facepalmed. "Let me guess, Spike was the one who grabbed it first."
"Spike ordered your brother to hug every dragon he saw," Twilight said.
Smolder then smiled and said, "It... was actually kinda nice."
Twilight giggled and said, "Well, I guess one good thing came out of that." She then turned to face the door. "Well, I gotta make sure my kids are tucked away. They got school tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah," Smolder said. "Good night, Princess."
"Good night, Smolder," Twilight said. She then headed out of the room and headed down the hall. Then her mom, Velvet, came up right beside her.
"Okay, this castle has gotten some rooms occupied," Velvet said. "Which is nice of you to offer them some room."
"Yeah, some of them really needed it," Twilight said. "Especially Gallus and Ocellus. Since Gallus was homeless and Ocellus was banished from the Changeling Hive."
"Okay, so now we got a griffon, a changeling, a yak, a hippogriff, and now a dragon," Velvet said. "That's gonna take time to get used to."
"Technically, we have two dragons," Twilight said.
"Oh, that's right," Velvet said. "Spike. I almost forgot about him."
"Yeah," Twilight said. "Well, I gotta make sure Dusk, Nyx and Daylight are in bed."
"Okay," Velvet said. "I'm gonna head to bed myself. Good night, Twilight."
"Good night, Mom," Twilight said. She then headed down the halls of the Castle of Friendship to check up on her foals before heading off to bed herself.